Last year I started the easy habit of using simple spread sheets instead in Excel. Then, I attach each to an email to our Tax Goddess.

For instance, from me she gets:

Freelancing spreadsheet
Hobbies spreadsheet
Home Office spreadsheet
Donations spreadsheet
DMV and Car Junk spreadsheet

and so forth. Each one is simple. It lists what I spend, and any money I might have made if appropriate. That’s it.

I also have my budget spread sheet that I make up once a year, which lists all my bills and expenses with the amount I’ve alloted myself. I only edit as needed.

Lastly, I have my monthly budget, which lists everything I’ve spent in the month, and how much I’m allowed to spend in each category. I open this whenever I use my credit debit card:-)

Most the spread sheets I ignore till the end of the year, some I only have to open now and then to update, and two I open frequently.

In doing that, I’ve tracked my pennies with no complicated software. I let the Tax Goddess decide if something is really a right off or something from Dana’s musings.

Dana

You just need to look at versions of Word after ‘95 to see what happens when the software thinks it knows what you want.